The Good Book - Big Book Guidebook

Chapter 2 - The Healing Evidence at the Time When A.A. Was Born

Miracles Never Ceased

The extensive records of Divine healing through the ages: The record of healing approaches that relied on God and took their facts from the Bible has simply blasted unbelieving A.A. revisionists out of the water when that record is compared to their self-help and self- made spirituality themes.

These people either don't know or don't want to get into the hefty volumes about signs, miracles, wonders, and cures by the power of God. There are volumes of recorded histories of healings that: (1) begin in the Old Testament, (2) continue through the healings by Jesus, (3) were wrought by the Apostles and early Christians as recorded in the Book of Acts; (4) continued with the Church Fathers and then (5) on down through the ages.

See Herbert Lockyear, All the Miracles of the Bible: The Supernatural in Scripture-Its Scope and Significance. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pubishing House, 1961; G. H. R. Shafto. The Wonders of The Kingdom: A Study of the Miracles of Jesus. New York: George H. Doran Company, 1924; Morton T. Kelsey. Psychology, Medicine & Christian Healing: A Revised and Expanded Edition of Healing & Christianity. San Francisco: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1988; Pearcy Dearmer. Body and Soul: An Enquiry Into The Effects of Religion Upon Health, With a Description of Christian Works of Healing From the New Testament to the Present Day. London: Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, 1909; J. R. Pridie. The Church's Ministry of Healing. London: Society for Promoting Chistian Knowledge, 1926; F. W. Puller. Anointing of the Sick In Scripture and Tradition With Some Consideration of the Numbering of the Sacraments. London: Society For Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1904; and C.S. Lewis. Miracles:

How God Intervenes in Nature and Human Affairs. New York: Collier Books, 1960.

One of the best and most comprehensive renditions of my own research work on this subject was included in the address I gave at The Second Nationwide Alcoholics Anonymous History Conference in Wilmington, Delaware. And after the conference, I revised the materials and did an immense amount of additional research. You can find it in my new title Dick B. When Early AAs Were Cured and Why. 3rd ed. Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2006. In Appendix Three of that title is my documentation with the title "Miracles Not to Be Forgotten" at pages 143 to 159. There is also an extensive Bibliography in the title.

Recognition of the Efficacy of Healings

The Remarks of Clergy at Yale Summer School of Alcohol Studies about the efficacy of divine healing of alcoholism: The foregoing material was available and discussed, though probably ignored, when the A.A. program was being launched. Dr. Bob certainly studied these matters extensively as a reading of the books in his library quickly shows. And at the very conference where Bill Wilson was in attendance and speaking, scholars were making the following statements. The specifics are laid out in my title When Early AAs Were Cured, supra, pp. 1-3.

The remarks are those of Reverend Francis W. McPeek, Executive Director of the Federation of Churches in Washington, D.C. and of The Reverend Dr. Otis R. Rice, Director, St. Luke's Hospital, New York. First, from Rev. McPeek's comments:

It is, moreover, the insistence of historical Christianity that no man can live fully without a knowledge of and dependence upon God. . . . No one is exempt.

The deep-running for a faith which united and heals the soul and directs the will, and the bits of emotionally tinged knowledge of God from earlier times, are activated in many ways. . . . Augustine was converted by reading a single passage. St. Anthony by a single word.

Much work was done in city missions and particularly by the Salvation Army. . . . Generally speaking, the Salvationists have capitalized on the techniques that have made other reform programs work.

[Early AAs were pointed to the best-selling book by Harold Begbie Twice-Born Men that described the Salvationist work in the London slums. As summarized by Rev. McPeek, those techniques were:] (1) Insistence on abstinence [the primary rule for A.A. pioneers]. (2) reliance on God [the first test required by Dr. Bob as newcomers left the hospital] (3) the provision of new friendships among those who understand [the social and religious comradeship that was part of the pioneer program] (4) the opportunity to work with those who suffer from the same difficulty [the love and service to other alcoholics that was, as Dr. Bob expressed it, the essence of the new ideas in A.A.] (5) unruffled patience and consistent faith in the ability of the individual and in the power of God to accomplish the desired ends [The whole Akron program involved living in the homes of people like Bob and Anne Smith, having Quiet Time, reading Christian literature, and engaging in ceaseless conversions, Bible study, prayer, fellowship, and witness].

Continuing his comments to the Yale Audience, Rev. McPeek said: Certain things may be held as conclusive. Towering above them all is this indisputable fact: It is faith in the living God which has accounted for more recoveries from the disease than all other therapeutic agencies put together.

And then from the Reverend Dr. Rice to the Yale Summer School: It is from the fact that one is a miserable sinner, and the acceptance of the fact that by God's promise one can become His son, that cures are made and that lives are made worthwhile.

Healing Assurances pioneer AAs heard and studied in the Bible itself and in verses from it:

There are enough verses the AAs studied in the Bible on healing to keep you busy reading for weeks, and the following are neither exhaustive nor complete. They simply show a little of what God had to say as He spoke through His Word. They also show what early AAs were regularly hearing, studying and believing. We know this because we know that the devotionals they used daily contained these very verses. See Nora Holm. The Runner's Bible (reprinted) Lakewood, Co: Acropolis Books, 1998, pp. 171-196. Also the many verses in the Methodist Quarterly the Upper Room, which was given to every one of the pioneers. And in the many healing books studied and circulated by Dr. Bob to the pioneer AAs and their families. See Dick B., Dr. Bob and His Library, 3rd ed. Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1998, pp. 35-40, 83 -89; Cured: Proven Help for Alcoholics and

Addicts, Paradise, supra; God and Alcoholism, Paradise, supra..

Verses In the Old Testament:

. . . I am the LORD [Yahweh] that healeth thee (Exodus 15:26b)

. . . Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father. I have heard thy prayer. I have seen thy tears. Behold, I will heal thee. . . (2 Kings 20:5)

Bless the LORD, O my soul. . . . Who forgiveth all thine I niquities, who healeth all thy diseases (Psalm 103:1, 3)

Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saves them out of their distresses. He sent his word and healed them (Psalm 107:19-20)

I have seen his ways and will heal him (Isaiah 57:18)

For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD (Jeremiah 30:17)

Verses in the Gospels:

And in that same hour he [Jesus] cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight (Luke 7:21)

Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked. . . (John 5:8-10; compare Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed, p. 19)

[After he had cured many of their infirmities and given sight to the blind] . . . Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached (Matthew 7:22)

And when he [Jesus] had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease (Matthew 10:1)

After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. Therefore he said unto them. . . . And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them. The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you (Luke 10:1-2, 9)

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father (John 14:12)

[After the apostles and others had seen Jesus risen from the dead following his resurrection, Peter preached as follows:] How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and power, who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem. . . .(Acts 10:38-39).

And then among the many verses, after the Gospels:

"And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. . . . And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women. Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean...